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Born May 1, 1941 in Waterville, Maine. Long before Lou was Lou, he was Joseph Savarin. (Of course his other four brothers were also Joseph Savarin). He is the fourth of six children, including five sons and one daughter (Joe, Flo, Paul, Lou, Moe (Maurice) and Marcel). He attended a French Catholic school in Maine and spoke only French until the seventh grade. He learned English after that while he attended public school. After graduating from high school, young Lou joined the Air Force and traveled the world for eight years, spending his entire career in overseas posts in places like the Philippines, Spain, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Taipei. Lou’s Great Grandfather is the world renowned French pastry chef, Brillat-Savarin who coined the phrase, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” His story is remarkable in and of itself, and you can find numerous bits of information about him on the internet. One of the most fitting quotes from Brillat-Savarin that Lou Savarin seems to live by: "Inviting a person for dinner means caring for his happiness throughout the time he is under your roof.” |
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| Lou’s Grandfather (Jules Savarin) migrated from Paris, France to Canada, and then to Maine where he was the editor of his own newspaper called The French American which brought news of the war to the French speaking citizens on the east coast. In 1877, Waterville, Maine was chosen by the Maine Central Railroad to be its rail center for Central Maine. Between the mid 1800’s and the turn of the century, the railroad brought with it a boon in the Waterville economy, along with a large influx of French-Canadian immigrants. As the steamboat services began to wane, many French Canadians began working for the railroad. Lou’s father (Marcel Savarin) migrated from Montreal, Canada to Maine where he served as a chef on the Maine Central Railroad which commuted between Maine and Montreal. After the military, Lou moved to Houston, Texas where he owned several businesses including a tire company and an automobile repair company. All five brothers and one sister moved to Memphis (Lou arrived here in 1972) – and the rest is, as they say, history. Together the family set out on many endeavors – running the food services at Tim McCarver Stadium for some time, and then running the concessions and banqet services on the Memphis Queen Line tour boats for several years. Lou and Paul Savarin were the magic and minds behind the most famous blues club in Memphis – Blues Alley which opened in 1974 in November 6th Alley. Lou was in charge of the music, the menu and the staff, and Paul took care of the front of the house in his favorite crushed velvet smoking jacket. The club and its fabulous hosts are still talked about today. Blues Alley became a hot spot for locals and tourists alike who wanted to stop in and catch a great dinner and show. Their expectations were always met, and the Savarins made everyone who came through their door feel like a regular. Famous musicians, local celebrities and movie stars could often be found inside the doors of Blues Alley and even on stage. The first club burned down in 1976, but it was rebuilt on Front Street shortly thereafter. Around the same time that Blues Alley was on the scene, the Savarins were also running an after hours club called Lou’s Down Under on November 6th Avenue. It was a favorite after hours spot for the Memphis Symphony and the musicians from Blues Alley. After that, the Brothers Savarin operated Lou’s Place in 1985 on Front Street across from the Butcher Shop where the Cheyenne Moon currently resides until about 1992. Then, Lou opened Blues Brothers Deli in 1993 on Highland Avenue where the current Wang's makes its home. In 1996, Lou took over Beale Street Barbecue on Beale Street. In 1998, Lou became the soul of Pie in the Sky pizza shop on Young Avenue where the current Blue Fish restaurant stands. Through the years, the Savarin brothers have also run a booking agency which booked many wonderful musicians throughout the United States. Brother Joe Savarin was the founder of The Blues Foundation and The Handy Awards right here in Memphis in the 1980’s. Late Brother Paul Savarin was as much a famed restaurateur as Lou, as well as a local celebrity activist of sorts. In 1983 he was the founder of Memphis Against Social Harrasment (MASH) an anti-ordinance group formed to combat MAD (Memphians Against Degeneracy), the pro-ordinance lobby. Paul was a recipient of The Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” award. Paul passed away in 2005 and is sorely missed. It is no secret that one of Lou’s favorite passions is music. This year, in Nashville, Tennessee, he will receive his fifty year membership pin in the Barbershop Harmony Society – an international men’s a capella singing group which focuses on four part barbershop harmony singing. He is a member of the Memphis Cotton Boll Chorus. About three and a half years ago, Lou fell ill and was forced to hand over Pie in the Sky to a different owner. Three years later, he returned to the pizza business and opened the current shop on Young Avenue and named it Lou’s Pizza Pie, featuring the delicious pie made famous at Pie in the Sky. You can find Lou there on many a night smiling and sharing his life with some of his best friends and favorite customers. Lou has been married to the love of his life, Margaret for twenty eight fabulous years. |
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His finest hour. 
Lou went fishing once last year. He liked it.
Lou and a very special guest.
Lou is crowned king of take out pie.
Lou returns to do battle with the fishes.
Lou is telling me something here. I'm not listening.
Lou encourages you to push the fluids.
Lou is telling me something again. I'm not listening again.
Lou is a Memphis Grizzlies fan. He thinks they play good hockey. |
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